Dovewing's Silence/Chapter 2
Chapter description :Dovewing wakes in the early morning light, and feels bitterly cold. She sees the bodies of her fallen Clanmates stretched out in the clearing, with their close family and friends sitting vigil for them. Purdy walks around the camp, gently rousing each cat. The dark tabby says that the vigil is over, and notes that he can't bury every cat alone as he is the only elder. Graystripe, Rosepetal, Blossomfall, Bumblestripe, and Molepaw follow the tabby to where the dead cats lay. Dovewing absent-mindedly falls in step behind them, and hears squeaks as she passes the elders' den. She assumes that Brightheart and Daisy have taken in Sorreltail's kits, and are keeping them away from the clearing as long as possible. :Bumblestripe heads for Firestar's body, while Dovewing pads over to Hollyleaf. Ivypool's shoulders hunch in grief, and she watches as her sister lifts the black warrior's scruff. Out of the corner of her eye, Dovewing sees Birchfall go up to Ferncloud. The tom says that he wants to assist his mother on her final journey. Dustpelt rudely says that they can manage, and he gave up the right to help when he betrayed his Clan. Birchfall's tail droops, and he slowly pads back to the warriors' den. Dovewing is bewildered, and tries to clear her senses, because she couldn't hear them that well. The gray she-cat goes to call out to Birchfall, but Ivypool warns her not to say anything. :The sisters bend down and grab Hollyleaf, with the help of Poppyfrost and Cloudtail. Dovewing notices Thornclaw, Blossomfall, and Mousewhisker walking away, and wonders if they aren't allowed to help because they trained in the Dark Forest. Every cat begins to file out of camp, each helping to carry Firestar, Sorreltail, or Mousefur. Leafpool leads the sad procession into the oldest part of ThunderClan territory, where the oak trees grow silver and twisted with age. The cats lay down their precious burdens in a row, and step back to let the medicine cat send each one to StarClan. :Dovewing wonders if they should fetch Birchfall, but Ivypool says that he wouldn’t be welcome. The she-cat comments that none of the once Dark Forest trainees are welcome, even if they switched allegiance. Ivypool continues that perhaps she should be dead instead of Hollyleaf, who saved her. Dovewing protests that the black warrior knew what she was doing, and didn't regret it. Purdy steps forward, and instructs the cats to not dig the holes too close together, and be at least one-fox length deep. Squirrelflight meows in thanks to him, and asks if there's anything else they should do. Purdy suggests a nice spot for Mousefur, because she liked to come and sit by the lake. Sandstorm comments that it’s a lovely idea, and they’ll definitely do it. :Poppyfrost picks out a place for Hollyleaf, and Cloudtail, Dovewing, and Ivypool begin digging. Silence falls among the oaks, only broken by an occasional grunt of effort. Dovewing hears an exclamation of pain, and sees Lionblaze holding up a broken, bleeding claw. Cinderheart asks him if he's okay, her words laced with hidden meaning. The golden tabby says he's fine, but Dovewing recalls that he shouldn’t be able to get hurt. She starts digging again, and brushes it off as Lionblaze's exhaustion making him less careful. :At last, the five deceased cats are buried safely in the ground. After Purdy checks each mound, the warriors begin to file back to camp. Moments later, the newly named Bramblestar, and Jayfeather, pick their way through the bramble entrance. Dovewing watches as Squirrelflight welcomes him back, but the leader seems distracted. He spots the former Dark Forest trainees standing off to the side of the clearing, and the deputy quickly begins meowing in his ear. Whitewing comes up behind her daughter, and comments that that's probably not a conversation for her ears. The white warrior questions Dovewing about her powers, and the she-cat simply nods. Whitewing wishes that she'd known about all of it sooner, but her daughter says it’s okay, and was only was a part of the prophecy. She then leaves, and calls to Dovewing that she's always open to talk with her. :The gray she-cat decides to visit Jayfeather, because her ears haven't stopped buzzing since the battle. When she calls to the gray tabby, however, he is busy tending to Foxleap. Dovewing asks how he's faring, Jayfeather says it's not looking good. He asks if her problem is urgent, and she says that she'll come back tomorrow. Dovewing stands at the bramble entrance as she ponders Jayfeather's actions. She notes that he'd seemed frightened, and wonders why. Characters Major }} Minor *Purdy *Molepaw *Graystripe *Rosepetal *Blossomfall *Bumblestripe *Birchfall *Spiderleg *Icecloud *Dustpelt *Poppyfrost *Cloudtail *Thornclaw *Mousewhisker *Lionblaze *Cinderheart *Sandstorm *Millie *Squirrelflight *Berrynose *Whitewing *Leafpool *Toadstep *Hazeltail *Bramblestar *Jayfeather *Foxleap }} Mentioned *Mousefur *Daisy *Brightheart *Lilykit (Unnamed) *Seedkit (Unnamed) *Firestar *Hollyleaf *Ferncloud }} Notes and references Category:Chapter subpages Category:Dovewing's Silence Category:Novellas